Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

In the OAS, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has voted consistently against democracy and human rights in Venezuela, first in 2016 voting against Secretary General Almagro’s report on the state of democracy in Venezuela and in in the June 2017 OAS General Assembly voting against a resolution condemning the Maduro government’s plan to hold an unconstitutional constituent assembly to re-write a new constitution.

Concerning women’s rights, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has a female homicide rate of 6.4 per 100,000 women. And yet, St. Vincent and the Grenadines does not have a specific law on femicide.

Below is a breakdown of St. Vincent and the Grenadines actions and votes at the various venues we are monitoring. For more information click on each title and summary.

United Nations System:

United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC or Council)

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has not been on the Human Rights Council.

UNHRC’s Universal Periodic Review

As part of its mandate to promote human rights around the globe, the UNHRC has instituted a Universal Periodic Review, where, once every four years, each country’s human rights record is examined. Other countries are invited to review the record and make comments and suggestions for improvement. The country under review then acknowledges each comment by either “accepting” the comment, meaning typically that they agree to focus on, or “noting” it, indicating that they disagree and will not be focusing on improvements in this area.

As commenter: St. Vincent and the Grenadines is not an active participant in the UPR process, with only two recommendation made to Papua New Guinea on the issue of women’s rights and the right to health.

Note: This data is for the 2nd cycle of the UPR. However, the final round of countries were reviewed in November/December 2016, and that data is not yet available to include in our analysis here.

UN NGO Committee

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has not been on the Committee since at least 1993.

Inter-American System:

OAS Permanent Council

Under the new leadership of Secretary General Luis Almagro, the OAS has re-found its focus on promoting democracy around the region. This was shown most clearly in a meeting in June 2016 where Almagro presented his report on the state of democracy in Venezuela and proposed invoking the Inter-American Democratic Charter.

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In June 2016, Secretary General Luis Almagro presented his report laying out the evidence on how and why it was necessary to invoke the Inter-American Democratic Charter in Venezuela. St. Vincent and the Grenadines alongside other Venezuelan allies worked to prevent a vote on whether Almagro should present his report at all. However, the vote succeeded and Almagro was allowed to present his findings.

During the 2017 OAS General Assembly, St. Vincent and the Grenadines backed and voted in favor of a CARICOM backed resolution that asked Venezuela to reconsider withdrawing from the OAS. It voted against a resolution that urged the Maduro regime not to convene a constituent assembly that would rewrite the Venezuelan constitution. With the help of other CARICOM and ALBA nations, St. Vincent and the Grenadines was able to prevent a strong resolution condemning the Venezuelan government’s unconstitutional efforts to rewrite the constitution.

Inter-American Commission for Human Rights (IACHR or Commission)

St. Vincent and the Grenadines does not contribute financially to the IACHR, and Global Americans does not track its interaction with the body.

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Voluntary financial contributions to IACHR (as of Sept. 16, 2016)

Year

Contributions by St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Percentage of Total
Contributions to IACHR

2011

–

–

2012

–

–

2013

–

–

2014

–

–

2015

–

–

2016

–

–

Electoral Missions

St. Vincent and the Grenadines has had five OAS missions to monitor their elections. The OAS has monitored elections in 2015, 2010, 2009, 2005, and 2001.

Freedom of Information Laws

Since 2000 the right to information and freedom of information laws have expanded across the region. However, the existence of the laws on the books does not necessarily mean full enforcement.

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Signatory/Participant in MESICIC*

Yes

Constitutional protection*

Yes

Specific law enacted*

Yes- enacted in 2003

Is there a presumption of right*

Yes

Scope/Exceptions/Overrides*

No constitutional right to information; all information is accessible; no identification needec

Women’s rights:

Protecting women against gender-based violence is a human rights issue often overlooked globally even though it crosses social, economic and national boundaries. And according to the United Nations Population Fund, gender-based violence undermines the health, security, dignity, and autonomy of its victims. Although 16 countries in Latin America had modified their laws to include a specific type of crime referring to the murder of women by 2015, they are not uniformly implemented, and practices to convict perpetrators of gender-based violence are still extremely weak. A 2016 report published by the Small Arms Survey found that Latin America and the Caribbean is home to 14 of the 25 countries with the highest rates of femicide in the world.

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St. Vincent and the Grenadines has a female homicide rate of 6.4 per 100,000 women. And yet, St. Vincent and the Grenadines does not have a specific law on femicide. In 2015, the Law on Domestic violence in St. Vincent and the Grenadines introduced a detailed definition of domestic violence and made reporting domestic violence obligatory. However, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the law “created financial burden for victims, did not provide legal aid, did not specify the role of the Crisis Centre which was the shelter for battered women, and did not oblige government agencies to record and report data on domestic violence.”

[1]WJP Rule-of-Law Index measures 4 principles: 1) The government and its officials and agents as well as individuals and private entities are accountable under the law; 2) The laws are clear, publicized, stable, and just; are applied evenly; and protect fundamental rights, including the security of persons and property and certain core human rights; 3) The process by which the laws are enacted, administered, and enforced is accessible, fair, and efficient; 4) Justice is delivered timely by competent, ethical, and independent representatives and neutrals who are of sufficient number, have adequate resources, and reflect the makeup of the communities they serve.

[2] AQ Social Inclusion Index uses 23 different factors to measure how effectively governments are serving their citizens, regardless of race or income, and is published annually by Americas Quarterly at the Americas Society/Council of the Americas.

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